A Study in the Art of Bending
by kaibasgirlx
Summary: Please don't read this if you have a really overactive imagination.


**A Study in the Art of Bending**

In the days when the earth was still young, people were separated into four nations. The Earth Kingdom, the Northern & Southern Water Tribes, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads.

For hundreds of years, people would shoot fire through their palms, tear canyons into the earth, manipulate the bodies of water, and soar through the air like a bird. It was a golden age for mankind, as benders and non-benders alike lived in harmony together. They served their monarchs with loyalty and dedication, as peace reigned supreme over the lands.

Slowly, as the years passed, inventions began to crop up, claiming to make life easier for the non-benders. Those who could not control the fire turned to these devices for warmth, when the snow fell heavily upon the ground. For cool air, when the sun's rays beat down mercilessly. Housing, where the earth refused to budge, and to fly through the air, when one could not call upon the winds to keep them aloft.

People delighted in these contraptions, as trade and industry began to flourish. As the generations went by, bending was practiced less and less. Who needed to train and learn complicated moves, when, at the touch of a button, science could do it for you. Why work hard and sweat it out in a field, when a machine could give you the same results. It wasn't long before very few still practiced the ancient arts.

Those who did were laughed at and scorned. Members of the royal family began to lose respect, and the elderly, who were once looked up to and revered, were now considered outdated fools.

The era of bending came to a tragic close, as fights and wars began to break out between the four nations. Yet these weren't battles that were once fought with fists and the power of the elements. Weapons of mass destruction devastated the landscapes, polluted the air, and intoxicated the waters. Each kingdom fought for more territory, or to hold on to what little they had.

After decades, the borders changed. There was no longer the "Earth Kingdom" and "Fire Nation". The polar icecaps did not simply belong to the Water Tribes nor the mountains to the Air Nomads. Now, there were many smaller countries. Some ruled by monarch, others by democracy. There was no longer a distinction between benders and non-benders.

Those who still practiced the bending arts were told on, as the age of witchcraft descended upon the land. It was an era full of suspicion and fear. Hate and lies. Those who were caught were burnt at the stake, believed to be practicing witchery. Many a friend turned on each other, as those who sought revenge on a neighbor or spouse, need only claim they had been flying through the air, or dancing with the waters. There were those that even faked bending, in order to get another in trouble. Everyone feared for their lives, lest the groups band together to start a war.

Many a guilty and innocent party died during that time, until the age of enlightenment, where people began to blame their sovereigns for their troubles. Pogroms broke out, as those who sided with democracy declared a war of independence. They overthrew their king and government, heralding in a new generation. A new generation full of youth and idealisms.

-

These days, we no longer know what it means to throw flames with our fists, glide through the air like a bird, dance as one with the ocean, or wield the power of the earth. After enduring a millennia of wars, and many a holocaust, the face of the world has changed.

There are still benders out there, among us, though they themselves are not aware. In a burst of anger, their eyes will shoot sparks, and steam will come out of their ears. Those are the Firebenders.

In the moment their voice and eyes take on a cold manner, and the air itself has a chill, you will know the Waterbenders.

When you gaze upon those that are stubborn as they are strong, take knowledge that you are looking at the Earthbenders.

And you may wonder, what of the Airbenders? Sadly, almost all of the Air Nomads have been wiped out in the last Holocaust the world has seen. Should you chance to meet one, you can identify them by their boundless energy, their pacifist ways, and how they seem to almost _fly_ when their spirits are buoyed.

Mixed together in the melting pot, the world has become, what we know it as, today.

End

A/N:

_Okay, sooo this occurred to me one fine day during work. I was thinking about all those expressions people use, you know, "She jumped a foot in the air" or "Steam was coming out of her ears" etc. Originally I was going to make this a story, but my little sister (__**icedragongurl**__) advised against it, saying it stood better alone. Anyway, please, take this with a grain of salt, or a bucketful really. It's all my imagination spewing out nonsense, but I thought it would be cool to give a historical (fictional, actually) background to the Avatarverse, explaining why we don't have bending today._

_Seriously though, don't try to "airbend" or "firebend" or any of that stuff, cause most likely you'll end up hurting yourself, and I don't want to get any pm's complaining that you 'tried bending and it didn't work'. It doesn't exist, so of course it's not going to work. XP_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_Téa_


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